On their 11th day without food, Vice President Joe Biden visited a group of immigration reform advocates who are going without food to bring attention to their issue.

Speaking at the “Fast for Families” tent on the National Mall, Biden told the fasters, “As my father would say, come hell or high water, we’re going to win this.” Eliseo Medina, a former Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union called the visit inspiring.

“I was humbled and strengthened by his words and commitment to immigration reform,” Medina said in a statement. “He gives me more hope that we can finally address this moral crisis.”

Medina, who is a longtime immigration reform advocate, is fasting along with Cristian Avila, of Mi Familia Vota, and Dae Joong Yoon, of the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium. All three have said they’ll continue fasting until they can no long sustain or are “medically prevented from continuing their efforts,” according to a news release

Yoon said House Speaker John Boehner’s comments Thursday that the immigration reform effort is “absolutely not” over, along with Biden’s visit, is providing encouragement.

“This movement, our fast, is only a small sacrifice we make compared to the suffering endured by the families torn apart due to a dysfunctional immigration system,” said Yoon, a Korean immigrant. “It’s time we stop this suffering and get immigration reform done.”

Sorry, we are a NATION of LAWS and no amount of "poll numbers" is relevant to the Unconstitutional dimension of the proposed immigration "reform".

While most democrats may shortsightedly see a "path to citizenship" as a means to garner more votes, it seems disingenuous to add tens of millions of new entitlements when, as here, the GOP refuses to raise a single dollar of new revenue. If anything, the GOP will likely use the pretextof denying historical entitlements these newly minted "US citizens" (i.e., possessing passports from other nations) to (what else) bolster their argument to deny historical entitlements to ALL taxpaying citizens.

Reduced to its essence, it is difficult to see how or why bequeathing citizenship to Foreign Nationals that came here illegally is not going to materially induce tens of millions more from various sovereigns to "just make it" into the jurisdiction and use their newfound voting bloc to (what else) bequeath more "amnesty" to new arrivals. This is even more precarious and foreseeable when juxtaposed against the unequivocal reality of a changing climate and diminished access to potable water on account of "fracking" in other nations, if not merely displacing entire communities inside our own (see, e.g., 'Gasland' documentary).

Above all, the Congress has no authority to (1) grant 11,000,000-25,000,000+ Foreign Nationals mass "amnesty" for violating Immigration Law(s) and, in doing so, (2) materially dilute the ElectoralCollege by giving these citizens of other sovereigns an unprecedented opportunity to swing elections. This is nothing short of outrageous given less "onerous" means (i.e,, in terms of vote dilution) are obviously available, e.g., permanent visas. Then again, in times of record deficits andour Congress refusing to even renew the Food Stamps/SNAP program...you just get an abiding sense our Congress should focus on representing the People's interests. Say, by raising federal revenue via Congress prescribed duty to "Tax and Spend" for the People's general welfare. Is this "reform" really our Nation's biggest priority?

Particularly when, as here, the proposed "legislation" is void ab initio on account of giving similarly situated people (e.g., people with statutory violations) different treatment (i.e., amnesty) under Federal law? It clearly violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. How can anyone DENY that it doesn't- on its face- do just that?

So why go through with it?

Our government cannot honor the Constitution in some instances and not others (e.g., warrantless wiretaps and spying). Here, how can anyone credibly contend that this "reform" is not on its face giving preferential treatment to Hispanics that came here illegally? Our governmentneeds to stop diverting our tax dollars to "help" Arabs by "arming and training" them- or allowing our borders to be revolving doors for the very "dirty bombs" they claim is such a threat to ourNational Security.

Our laws must be enforced in accord with our Nation's precedent dispassionately.

"Few men have the virtue to withstand the highest bidder." - George Washington

I am an evangelical Christian and a United States citizen of Asian Indian
origin. Having said that, let me say that we are committing a great injustice
in how we are dealing with Mexican immigration and the status of illegal
Mexican workers in the United States. Congress ought to support President
Bush's idea of a guest-worker program for illegal Mexican workers in the United
States. We do owe something to Mexico and its people.

In the 19th century the United States, which was experiencing great industrial,
technological and economic growth, sought to expand to the Pacific Ocean. But,
there was one big problem. Mexico was in the way. Western land belonged to
Mexico. So, the United States invented a doctrine called Manifest Destiny that
said the nation that could better use the land had the right to it. We forcibly
took what are now California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas from Mexico. This
was raw aggression and it was morally wrong. When we seized these lands from
Mexico they became first U.S. territories ruled directly from Washington D.C.
Afterwards, when enough Americans from other parts of the country settled into
these territories, the federal government in Washington allowed the people in
the territories to vote on statehood and to have their own individual state
governments.

The historical evidence shows that America provoked war with Mexico. Why should
this be hard to believe? After all, the U.S. didn't invent the doctrine of
Manifest Destiny for nothing. History shows that American military forces
invented reasons and excuses to go to war with Mexico. There's no reason to
believe Mexico would start a war with militarily superior U.S. Certainly,
Mexico didn't have any doctrine of manifest destiny to justify conquering U.S.
territory.

The U.S. has done much that is good in the world, but it also has done much
wrong. The idea that the United States cannot do wrong is blasphemy! Only God
cannot do wrong..

The U.S. can partly correct the great injustice and wrong committed against
Mexico by giving legal status to Mexican workers in the U.S. who are doing jobs
that most Americans refuse to do. No one is being hurt and everyone wins. But,
isn't this giving amnesty to illegal immigrants? Not completely because
Americans do owe Mexico at least this much for taking hundreds of thousands of
square miles of territory from them. Also, in life there is a time for mercy as
well as a time for justice. In this case it is even practical on the part of
America to give mercy. There is no conceivable way that the U.S. can deport the
millions of Mexicans already here, and the employment vacuum this will cause
will be felt in everyone's pocket book. Americans are taking a lot of the work
they do for granted. Americans would definitely feel the pain if all the
illegal Mexicans were to leave.

The overwhelming majority of Mexican workers are law-abiding and work very hard
for low wages but that money means a lot for them and their families back home.
They do pay billions in payroll taxes. Yes, they may have gotten their social
security and I.D. numbers on the black market, but the tax money that's
withdrawn weekly from their paychecks is very real. If they were given legal
status they would be paying even more in taxes. With all the baby boomers
retiring soon we'll need all the hard earned tax money from Mexican workers.
We've aborted or killed nearly forty million unborn babies since Roe vs. Wade,
so we don't have enough people in the workforce to support social security once
all the baby boomers retire.

These immigrant workers are not the "barbarians at the gates of Rome"
as Pat Buchanan dramatizes them to be. They probably have far superior moral
and family values than that of your average American. They're even the same religion
as Pat Buchanan: Roman Catholic. Within a couple of generations, if not sooner,
these Mexicans will have become Americanized and be speaking and writing fluent
English. Other immigrants, the Irish, Italians, etc. have done so within a
couple of generations. No, Pat, America is not going down!

I am not excusing their illegal entry into the United States. But, as a nation
we can forgive and provide amnesty. Why did so many illegally immigrate anyway?
That they may feed their starving families and offer a better life for their
families. They didn't come here to plunder, rape, and kill. Yes, some may
commit crimes but not the vast majority. The vast majority came for a better
life and they are contributing. They are not taking someone else's identity and
then stealing from their bank accounts and stock portfolio. Their identities
are made up, for the most part, de novo which is illegal but it is not the
taking of someone else's identity, and, again, it is not so that they can
steal, rape, and plunder someone else's money and property, but so that they
may work to feed their families back in Mexico, many who are suffering because
of Mexico's economic policies.

Let's do what's right, just, merciful, and compassionate and give amnesty to
our hard working fellow human laborers from south of the border.

The author, Babu G. Ranganathan, has his bachelor's degree with concentrations
in theology and biology and has been recognized for his writings on religion
and science in the 24th edition of Marquis "Who's Who In The East."

I'd like to think of myself as a merciful, compassionate, just and a very good person. That being said however, there is no way I believe in giving amnesty to millions of Illegal people who have defied our laws. The last time I checked a felony is still a felony for all the people not just some of the people. In your letter you said "I am not excusing their illegally entry into the US" but sir, that is exactly what you want the Govt. to do. Yes, some of them pay taxes but many many more do not .And please don't try and say so lightly "Yes some of them commit crimes" !! Lots of them commit crimes. Besides, if even one American dies or gets raped or robbed by an Illegal who hopped over a fence or came through a desert and has been allowed to stay here is just completely unacceptable. I have lived and worked in Newark, NJ. where so many Illegals have migrated. I'd like you to send the missive you wrote to the parents of the four kids murdered in a school yard by a gang of Illegals. I'm sure their parents wished we had enforced our immigration laws. Those kids would be alive today if those animals had been thrown out of this country. Many, many more stories like that. I always think about how all the bleeding hearts would feel if it were one of their kids murdered by an Illegal.

. Another issue you haven't addressed is that many aliens have come to America and spent thousands of dollars to become legal American citizens. How do you think they feel.

I have a great idea, why doesn't the Mexican government take care of their own. Their economy is getting better and It's time for them to be responsible for their own people.

So many liberals ask "How can we send all of these illegals back?" Mitt Romney had a very good idea, stop giving them everything for free and they will go home on their own. And yes Americans will do the jobs that illegal do. Especially when many Americans are supporting families and need jobs desperately.

A path to citizenship.........with many many rules and regulations that is acceptable. Amnesty absolutely not.!!!

@BabuG.Ranganathan Are you throwing hard working Americans under the bus to help out "the poor hard working people" from south of the border? Do these people have no entitlement to a good paying job; the ability to keep a roof over their head; food on the table; etc so we can help out millions of people from south of the border? Alot of Americans work in the same fields as illegals. Our wages have been depressed and our hours cut due to them.

This country already takes in a million new immigrants per year. This is far greater then the rest of the world combined. We also allow in 2 million new immigrants to work on new green cards / work visas. We created 2 million jobs last year so this means we created none for the 20 million out of work or who need more hours.

This country has a 17 trillion dollar national debt. We have crumbling infrastructure; 47 million on food stamps; etc. How much more help are we to be for the countires south of us who refuse to take care of their own citizens? Lets be merciful, caring and compassionate to our own poor before we help out the rest of the worlds poor!!! The Mexican economy is doing far better then this one too.